Sun
by Niza.ExE
Summary: A broken man finds a new beginning at the end of a gun. Sanity and logic mean nothing when you have a target, and with a species he knows has a timer running out, he picks up the one profession that will last an eternity with his brother in law along for the ride. On the opposite side of town an immortal takes new interest in the streets. (Classic World of Darkness)
1. Chapter 1

Sunrise. For a brief moment the man sitting silently is gifted with confusion and silence as he forgets where he is. The warm glow pours into his living room through the curtains that have been taped to the corners to block out most of the view. His gun rested on its post where it was secured to a chair. He looked back at the monotonously ticking timer as it came closer and closer to its destination. Standing and setting the gun aside, he turned the timer on its side and disarmed it. "No need for that." He grumbled and began pour over the rest of the dusty apartment slowly. Four days had passed with little signs of human life over this once happy home. A good shower and maybe some coffee should wash everything out of his mind. The shower was still a light green from the fresh mold that had grown last time but he crawls in anyway, slamming hands onto the knobs before clothes even come off. With a toss, everything on his body went into a pile in the sink, leaving the curtain wide open. Fear keeps him from sparing the minute or so to soap and wash his hair. When he was as clean as the molding shower can get him, a razor befriends him and with one last ritual the gray and weary is cut from his face. Face and soul a little lighter, the rest of the apartment seems to be flooded with filth. He turned to the most recent piles of clothes and scoops them into the washer. "Dishes. Right." Back to the kitchen, the mess he has left alone for too long demands attention. A few hours pass as the mess seems to shrink in spots left and right, some half eaten food here, some unloved books askew by the couch. His conscious gave a short break when most of it seemed acceptable and his thoughts turned to sleep. For the last week he couldn't keep strait hours and had to switch to nights at work. The suns rising and setting has become apart of his mind, warning and comforting him as the sun moves each day.

Looking out the window and rubbing his fresh shave, he chuckled lightly knowing his lifestyle didn't affect his marriage at least. As the clock ran closer to  
>nine, safety was assured and the time to resupply had come. The picture perfect town greeted with a soft gust of wind and the kids playing in the streets.<br>Down just a few blocks from the apartment, under a leafless and rigid tree he laid down to rest and stretch out on the grass. The warmth of the sun mixed with the still damp calm of the grass overtakes him as he drifts to sleep, losing himself in the sea of nature. Hours drift by and soon he is burned, waking to the pink on his skin. Stretching with the burn, it is evening and roughly four hours until sunset. Like a drunk sleepily wandering back down the street, his head is hung and arms dangling. The apartment is silent upon returning, the loneliness filling all of the space now cleared.

Realizing that he only has a few hours left, he fixed some pasta and sat quietly at the table. The other side used to always be so lively, and now the dust  
>collects because he can't bring himself to face his old life. The soft scraping of silverware echoes throughout the kitchen. "Just another night on the watch who<br>says it can't be a fun night at least?" Opening the cupboard in the corner, he judged the musty wines and scotches by their color and removed  
>the strongest. Not sizing for moderation, he poured a full glass of the yellow poison and sniffed it, enjoying the shudder that ran through his blood. "Yeah, a<br>very good night." The glass drains its way into his system until the bottle is empty. Barely able to keep his trusty rifle steady, he wobbled to his chair. "Alright bloodsuckers, come get some." Drifting into a light sleep, the gun slumped onto the floor.

"Trevor, you can't just live your life in here you know. You think I wanted to marry a bum?" A thin blond women in red stood in front of a mirror, eyeing the  
>jewelry she was holding over her pale neck. "Oh come on. Were not kids, we don't need to hang out in any clubs. Why not just buy some wine and have a couple fun nights ourselves." Trevor growled and smiled coming behind her. "Just stay in, we don't need the world to see us." "You're not getting off that easy," she giggled and turned to face him. "get your keys, tonight is for us."<p>

Snoring and rolling out of the chair, the thud from the floor forced his eyes open. Still well liquored, he lifted himself onto his feet. Realizing that he can't  
>carry a gun into the streets, he set it on the counter, eyeing in his drunken stupor what to arm himself with. A kitchen knife was tucked into his jacket pocket<br>and he headed for the door. Stumbling down the stairs and into the night his eyes were soon blurry with the many signs and lights around him. Walking for what must have been hours, he found his way into a fast food chain and stopped for a quick meal. At least half of the whiskey had been diluted from the grease now pumping through his system as the clock neared three. A couple leaned against the glass of a nearby window and were clearly distracted from the world with each others lips. The girl couldn't have been older then 20, a very deep red leaving imprints on the much older mans face.

Rising quickly and resting his hand on the knifes handle, Trevor started for the door. He slammed both open and turned to face them as the girls lips had moved from the mans cheek and past his chin, pressing to his neck. He kicked the man in the side, sending him crashing to the ground. "Get away!" He caught the girl by surprise and pinned her to the glass. "That's enough leech." The girl had burst into tears, her makeup smearing. "Don't hurt me!" she squealed and tried to look away, squinting. "Hey asshole! What the fuck is your problem?" screamed the man in the ground, holding his ribs. "I only have 30 bucks on me, please, just take it and leave!" The girl sobbed. The smell of whiskey emanated from Trevor and he realized he had assaulted a random kid in drunken rage. Sheathing his knife and letting her go, he started to run as fast as his wobbling legs could muster, losing direction as he darted around corners and cars, trying to find his way home. The sky had turned to a very deep blue with the sun just around the corner. He ran until he didn't need to read the signs to know he was lost, tucking into an alleyway next to a dumpster. Hiding the knife underneath it, he rested with his back against it. Tears came quickly and soon he was sobbing into his hands, smearing his snot covered hands onto the ground to clean them, however oil and food stained it was. The tears rocked him to sleep gently, and he found comfort in his jacket with his hands deep in the pockets to keep him warm.

Morning invaded his eyes and pulled him from his slumber. His stomach churned at the smell of the dumpster and urged him on his feet to find food. As he started home, the smell of food from various breakfast cafes taunted him. His wallet and a clean change of clothes were five miles down the road. By noon he was reaching into his window and twisting the lock open. He walked through the house shedding his clothes in a trail towards the bathroom, once more crawling in and turning whichever knobs he could reach. Half asleep in the shower, the warm water slowly caressed away the the oil and dirt from the ally. Across the apartment the phone began to ring, and still nude, he roamed across the house to answer it.

"Hello?" He cleared his throat, not meaning to answer so groggily.  
>"Trevor?" a female voice seemed to hang in the air and despite not seeing her, he searched for a towel to clean up.<br>"Beth, hey, it's uh... it's been a while." They both sat in silence for a few seconds.  
>"Yeah it's been a bit. Justin called a little while ago asking about you. He wanted you guys to get together again, catch up."<br>"Uh yeah. Yeah pass my number and we'll set something up. It's good to hear from you. How Frank?"  
>"He's...the same. He's keeping focused and uh...busy."<br>"Well hey I'm headed out to work, I have to run...have Justin gimme a call."

She muttered her goodbyes and the phone clicked off. Unsure of why he just lied to someone who reached out to him, he sat in his towel on the couch and stared down at the phone. Though he hadn't spoken to any of the in laws in what must have been seven months or more, the distance that they had was needed, a wound between them that couldn't be healed with the comfort of family members. Justin hadn't visited for the last few months, growing tired of their long talks that always led to drinking.

Trevor was glad to have received the call though and spent the day planning for a better reunion than the last few times they had gotten together. Justin and him had spent the first few weeks of his recovery together but sadly split apart when the partying had started to interfere with his job. When the sun had started to set he put the chair right back at the indents in the carpets and grabbed the gun leaning against the door. Diligent to the nightly watch as always, he sat quietly with the gun and stared out the window into the parking lot. After an hour or so the shrill scream of the phone echoed through the house again and he answered it. "Aron's residence." He said calmly, not taking his eyes off of the street.

"Hey bucko how're you hanging in there?" Chewing on something loudly was Justin as he smacked and ripped whatever it was.  
>"Speak of the devil."<br>"Oh your finally talking again, and about me?"  
>"Yeah I was telling some fine ladies about a friend I don't have." He lied flatly.<br>"You don't talk to women, they like people who give it a wiggle once in a while. I heard my mom called you today, so I was hoping we could hit the town if you're not too busy."

Staring at the street and then at the gun he set it on the chair and sighed. "Yeah let's go to lucky's, I'll meet you there in half an hour." Justin let out a grunt of understanding and hung up. Grabbing his keys and wallet he headed out the door and to his car. "Hey man, you got any change?" He turned to see a man wearing multiple coats with a long gray beard standing behind him with his hand out. "Here." He reached into his pockets and dumped a handful of various coins into his open palm. "Go nuts huh?" The man grinned and walked away slowly. Noticing that the homeless had never wandered even close to this part of town, he looked around the corner of the building at a nearby park where sure enough were two more men sleeping under benches and trees. A little downhearted that his neighborhood was turning into more of a wreck then he had hoped he drove through the city almost looking for better signs of life. Parking and stepping up the door at lucky's he saw Justin flirting with one of the employees behind the counter. "Don't tell me he fell for the usual." He grinned as he walked in. "I was just telling him about my many adventures through the town." "Madame grey please." They sat and talked as the day wound down and the night life sprang up just across the street with clubs opening and lines forming around the corners. "Do you have a job yet?" Trevor stared down into his drink almost ashamed. "No." "Mmm well have you eaten all of your savings yet?" Knowing he couldn't avoid the question having been close with Justin before on financial terms he nodded. "I've got a month or two left."

"Well as much as I'd love to watch you go homeless and drag all of the shit in your apartment down the street are you going to get a job and pick up the phone once in a while or is this gonna be a conversation I look back on when they put your face on posters." Turning a bit sour and looking over at him he set down his drink. "You're a dick. Believe it or not no one wants to deal with the happy go skippy lifestyle I lead." Not bothered in the least by his rudeness he shrugged. "Make friends and work a job. Then die in a bed at least some day." Trevor sighed. "I will. You wanna head out? Unless you're getting his number I'm sure he wants to close the shop." Smiling while scrubbing a glass the man behind the counter nodded. "If you don't mind." Finishing their tea and leaving they began to walk through Old Town, stopping occasionally and staring into the many windows of trendy stores.

"If you expect a crazy party I'm not drinking tonight I've already had enough for a while."  
>"You quitting?"<br>"No I just get tired of getting all boozed up to roll around."  
>"Well there's always crazy bars. Like drunken monkey."<br>"Getting put through a window is not my idea of a good time."

Sitting with a young man on a bench was a lady dressed in black, her nails brushing over his neck lightly. "Trevor." Now staring at the young girl he started to move forward. Almost in a trance he kept moving recognizing her as the girl from around the fast food place. "Trevor." Justin called again, watching him closely. The girl was with a different man this time and her arm was draped around her shoulders. He got closer and closer until he was only a few feet away and she turned to him. "Are you gonna keep following me big boy or is this just another play date?" She turned with a coy smile and grinned at him. Her eyes were so sparkly and deep he began to lose himself a little. "Go have a good time and don't..." His world melted away as the very night seemed to rip past his eyes.

Standing in a club with blaring music and lights overhead, he looked around not knowing where he was. Sitting at a table close by with a beer in had was Justin. His eyes locked on and noticing that Trevor was more lucid, he stood and brought him over to the table. "Are you finally awake?" Justin was half yelling from the music. "You have been a zombie for three hours, and wandered until you found this club and just stood on the dance floor forever. What did that girl say to you?" Trevor shook his head trying to remember and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?" Justin tapped his pocket where his phone was and Trevor looked down at it. 2 am. "You're not kidding." Justin glared. "No asshole I'm not kidding I babysat you through your breakdown tonight so you wanna tell me what the hell is going on?" Trevor motioned for them to leave so he could get a grip on where they had ended up and they made their way through the crowd. Outside in the chilled air they moved into an alleyway. "Trevor, who the fuck was that girl? What did she say that ruined your head?" His memory a bit fuzzy even before they went out he rubbed his eyes. "I saw her at mcdonalds one night kissing a guy. I have no idea who she is." Justin scoffed, bitter with the results. "And her magical words?" Trevor shrugged. "No idea. Lets go back to my place." Disappointed and frustrated that he wasted the night, Justin led him back to his car and dropped him off over at lucky's where he was still parked. "See you at home." He yelled out the window as he drove off.

The town was still blurry around him as he drove off into the night. Still recovering from the loss of time, he looked around at the passing people and restaurants affirming that some had closed or parked bikes had moved. As he got home Justin's car was outside and he was already inside. Climbing the stairs and walking in, Justin was eyeing the inside of the fridge and emerged with a beer in his hand. "I see you keep such a...beautiful lifestyle all alone in here." Sighing and plopping onto the couch he flicked on the computer which was connected to the tv. "Here." Justin had brought the whole case of beers and put them in front the of couch, opening his own. "I hope at least we can piss the night away after that little stunt you pulled." Glaring at him Trevor defended himself. "It wasn't a stunt." Justin was nodding pretending to believe him. "Look I've seen her before, and when I go to talk to her she fries my head and I wake up in the club."

"Look Trevor I know what you're going to say and I don't buy it." Trevor flicked on some late night cartoon and sighed. "They're out there." Justin would hear no more of it and finished the rest of his beer and opened another. "Just shut up and drink." The hours ticked away as they drank and watched various shows only pausing to walk across the street to a crooked store that sold liquor past the legal time. Trevor didn't sleep drunk though and sat down at his computer making a list and beginning the application process to various places in town. Justin snored loudly and had rolled onto the floor, reaching up to grab a pillow which he put between his arm and the floor for some reason. As the applications dragged on the sun had begun to come up and the sinking feeling of safety allowed him to melt into the couch, his eyes slowly closing.

"Shut up and dance with me!" She giggled. Her jewelry was flowing as she swayed by the table.  
>Setting down the drink he had and standing Trevor pulled her close, their arms locking and moving onto the dance floor. "I thought I'd never get you out of that seat." She smiled and closed her eyes resting her head on his chest. The music hummed and rocked the walls and floor as they slowly drifted across it. Bumping into a women who was alone Trevor smiled. "I'm sorry." She had deep golden brown eyes and seemed to peer into his head as she stared. The silenced alerted the attention of the lady in his arms who looked up first at him and then shifted to the stranger. "Something wrong?" The lady smiled and pressed a hand to Trevor's face softly. "Not at all. Enjoy your night." She turned and dissipated into the crowd heading towards the bar. "I swear this town gets creepier and creepier." Trevor laughed deeply at her cold words. Between the heads of the crowd he could still see those eyes burned into his whenever he closed them.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Under one of the many dimly lit street lights in the city sat a withering pile of ash. Hot cinders had been melting through a pair of clothing left in the pile, the fibers of the shirts slowly fusing together. The wind began to pick up and carried some of the pile down to the gutter. From around the corner stood a women who watched the pile intently, almost hoping it would disappear completely. Shaking her head in shame she picked herself up and went for a walk. The city was dull at this hour but even she knew that some things dared to walk and creep through the alleyways and neighborhoods though not many as blatantly as her. Smirking a bit and turning the corner she found herself back at the gas station only a block from her house that she favored. Food was pointless but old habits die hard and the taste of what humanity had overdosed with sugar this year had kept her coming back. "Hey." She smiled casually at the man behind the counter who looked tired as ever and rubbed his eyes. "Do you ever sleep?" She grinned as she looked over the semi edible gas station taquitos spinning endlessly on the heater. "I don't need a lot of sleep to keep me going. That and I don't get stuck with the graveyard shift like you do every night of your life." He groaned and turned to the wall of tobacco behind him, writing various numbers of the inventory on a large sheet of paper.

Buying a handful of doughnuts and a soda she left the store and finished her walk home, not really worried about the bad diet she had as her body was far more resilient than a regular person. Upon arriving home she plopped into her favorite chair and flicked on the tv having to flip through the channels to find anything decent on because of the early morning. Her home was a quiet large apartment that looked as though it was a hotel room with the half furnishing she had done. The living room had a very simple set up with a couch and tv in one corner and a series of cabinets and bookshelves lining the rest of the walls. Even still there was a large pile of books that were next on her reading list stacked next to the couch. The kitchen lacked silverware, plates, and most importantly a fridge. A number of paintings filled the empty wall space to brighten the place which lacked much light after she cemented over the windows.

As the sun rose she knew what was coming and got as comfy as she could, determined not to wake up with another crick in her neck. The world awoke with the cracks of light shining through the slit in horsetooth mountain and her body relaxed into a softer position. The skin turned gray and wrinkled as her eyes filled with cataracts and pulled her vision to a halt. The bones creaked and churned as they locked into place leaving a corpse where she was.

Memories washed over her as she was standing in the black of her mind waiting for the experiences to take hold. The first to come was the rush of sunlight and an explosion of color as she was thrown back into childhood, shrinking and falling to her old height. Looking up at her parents again she found the grin of her father as he lifted her into his arms that still held such vigor and life. His breath was a very feint beer covered with juice and his chest was warm and safe as he held her close. "Whose that huh?" He cooed at her as he pointed over to his sister who was in the kitchen with her mother who was preparing dinner for the evening. "That's mommy!" She cheered and he laughed and shook his head. "No sweetie. The lady next to mommy." Before she could respond the darkness had once again taken her over and she was falling. The dark cleared slowly and the falling was replaced with the churning of her stomach. Inside of a plane for the first time she watched outside the window at the dark clouds and lights flying by in the night. "Why would anyone travel like this?" She muttered and looked around the people traveling who seemed quite used to the chaos around them, one man still packing the tobacco into his pipe despite the shaking knocking a bit onto the floor. Unable to contain a grin at the show she looked down and sighed at the two books she had already finished during the flight with an hour still to go. Leaning over to a man on her left she smiled and touched his arm lightly. "Excuse me sir, might you know when the plane will be touching down?" The man had a large mustache and seemed upper class with the state of his coat and brand new pocket watch dangling from the breast. "I've no idea young miss now please leave me be." He returned to his own book, flipping one of the pages.

Her slumber ended abruptly as she was thrown back into reality with an icy sheet of cold air meeting her. She rose coughing and gasping for air, falling off the couch and onto the floor. She ripped her clothes from her skin quickly as the sleeping left them usually a little to greasy from the state of her body. Finding a nice set of jeans and a dark shirt she crossed the house and peaked through the eye hole to the door. The sun had already gone down and with that she tested the air outside, deciding to grab a jacket before heading out. She stepped into the night and brushed some of the crumbs off of her coat. A little hungry she patted her pockets to make sure she had her wallet and walked to the street to catch the last bus to the center of town. As she boarded a man was rolling drunkenly on the seats muttering to himself. Interested but not willing to deal with the smell, she looked over him and then returned to staring out the window. Watching as the buildings flew by she couldn't help but sigh as she could think of when this part of the city was still being constructed and how they had changed the layout so many times.

The bus pulled into the downtown transit station and she walked off of the bus and headed towards the square. With the start of the weekend the regular college kids flocked to the bars and various clubs that filled the city making it almost a challenge to weave through the mess of drunks that littered the sidewalks. Having lost a portion of the shine that the town once carried after being named highly as a place to raise the children people were so eager to shelter, the tourism brought even more political controversy and was stimulated with the legalization of pot. Now double the population in the last five years, some three hundred thousand people stretched across the small borders. Packed with apartment complexes and garages closely the city had started to grow weak from supporting the growth. Looking up at the famed hotel on the corner, a man stood underneath the sign throwing up loudly onto the doormat.

Walking down the main street to window shop at the local bars for potential fun for the night. Finding a decently crowded and dark space behind a noisy door she slipped in between the mass of bodies and let nature take its course. The groups here were large and friendly leaving few to wander alone among the tables lining the walls. With a bit of luck she found her place among the bar and ordered a the shy pretty smile she kept for special nights like this, soon a seemingly nice boy sat two seats distance from her. Turning her presence into liquid fascination the room seemed to pull to a halt as eyes paused and drinks were set down when the attention shifted to only for a split second the eyes in the room danced over onto her and then back to their original position.

With another nudge of personality the room was lit with the need for passion. Unable to look away the young man sipped his drink slowly, his eyes running over her multiple times almost undressing her as she smirked back at him. Nervous and eager he accidentally spilled his beer down his front lightly and could barely find the napkins as his eyes were too busy to look around. She let out a light giggle and his face turned to pure ecstasy. Pushing once more into is emotional stability she found what she was looking for and brought it to the surface. Within moments he seemed almost more aggressive and lifted his drink to come sit with her still not minding the stain that was setting into his shirt and left him reeking of beer. He watched her more intently now and eyed her body as she turned to see what he wanted.

"Hey, are you all alone here?" He asked in all seriousness with clear intent to get a little more personal with her. "And what if I'm not?" She asked flatly, knowing he wouldn't be turned away by her cold words. "Then why not fuck whoever that is. You're too good to be here with some loser, and with looks like that you can't settle for some usual guy here." She grinned knowing she had sunk into his skin and pulled at the cut in her shirt a little. "What would we even do?" She asked coyly hoping he was more creative then the usual men she lured. "Don't ask," he whispered. "just give into the night and lose where you are." Enjoying the bold moves she didn't usually see she rose and ran her hands down her front. "Don't bother keeping me waiting then."

Eager to see how this young one would hold up to her standards she ran her fingers through her hair and then down her chest to tease his curiosity. Almost a little to dominant he grabbed her by the wrist and looked into her eyes. "You can stop the with the teasing, you have my attention and it's not going anywhere." Leading out of the bar and down the street she could feel his pulse rising in his grip as they got closer to an alleyway close by. Favoring a dark corner he pushed her against the wall to tear into her clothing, his hands finding quickly what he wanted as he ran them across her chest. Letting out a high pitched giggle of surprise she pushed on hand downwards hoping to get a little fun out of this boy before the night was over. His fingers slipped up her dress and across her panties and he closed his eyes to savor the feeling. Gripping his head in one hand she pulled his hair to get him closer to her lips. "Maybe next time."

Ripping into his skin violently she shook the neck to rip the holes a little more open though her teeth did all the work she needed. The flow was only impeded by the frantic and excited lapping she started. Feeling the air begin to leave his lungs she set him on the ground moaning in want for more. She licked the wound sadly hoping for more but knowing she couldn't leave the dead in the streets with the way the humans were these days. Disappointed and now tipsy she straightened her dress and cleaned the dirt off the back. After leaning down to check his pulse she left him there with the hope he would fill the night with horny memories and forget all about the pain. The alcohol from his blood now mixing with hers as she walked the world spun ever so slightly and she had to lean on a bench to catch her breath. "You are so sloppy." She groaned and looked up at the jeans and hoodie of a women in front of her who lightly clicked her tongue ring on her teeth as she waiting for a response. "Fuck off. Don't you have corpses to fondle or did you just miss me?" She laughed and kicked the dirt around still waiting for her friend to stand up right. "Ugh. I taste whiskey and piss." Her friend helped her to her feet and held her arm as she swooned trying to make sense of how much the man had to drink before she drank it a second time.

"Little Mercy all alone and drunk in the streets." Now almost heaving she gripped the bench again. "Why are you out of your grave huh?" Sighing with boredom and looking around her friend shrugged. "This town is already completely boring without living in the dirt. I wanted to see some sites and maybe catch a little food." Standing finally and wobbling a little as she walked she looked over to the girl and admired the five new piercings she had acquired since their last meeting. "I'm game." They waltzed slowly through the town eyeing certain people and wondering if that might satisfy Sylvia's craving. When no one stuck out among the usual drunks, homeless and others running around hopped up on various drugs the walk began to lead them to looking for a more formal place to hunt. Catering to the college life of the town the fancy restaurants were either close to the city limits or too high class for anyone who wasn't one of the lords of the damned to get into.

Settling for a nice Asian buffet they ordered drinks and pondered how much they were willing to eat if only to have to deal with a human system later. A man sat alone at a table and Sylvia's interest was clearly perked as she stared. "Later, first lets eat. Just keep an eye out for him." Serving as much as they wanted they began to demolish the food in front of them while Sylvia continued to stare. "So how are your buddies in insanity?" asked Mercy. "That's unfair and you know it. Their fine, creepy and boring. I'm starting to run out of books though." Mercy couldn't help but giggle as she knew the library in her home that she shared with the others was more expansive then most in town. Word around town is there's a new opening as a lackey."

Nervous now she lowered her silverware and glanced around the room to make sure no one had taken to looking over. "Another war in the streets?" asked Mercy quietly. Shaking her head sullenly as if this was bad news that public bloodshed hadn't happened she looked down at the table. "The hounds under Douglas said he got into a rough talk with Virgil after the last meeting down by the safe zone by Harmony." Horrified at the thought of a clan leader clashing with Douglas she sipped her drink quietly. "Whose going to take his place?" Sylvia looked up at her and stared blankly. Spitting her soda across the table and beginning to cough Mercy was stunned. "No. I won't." Sylvia rolled her eyes for what felt like the six hundredth time as she threw her hands on the table in frustration.

"You are getting older the more you deny yourself any of the rights that come with building this town." Having heard this speech before by the other people in power she shook her head. "I've no need to get into these politics. Need I even remind you of my very blood?" Letting out a hearty laugh Sylvia looked over at the man again to make sure he was still there. "Are you going to tell me that no Toreador in the history of the clan has worked for a political position? If you don't do this even the fledglings of the god damn eighties are going to step all over you. You wanna throw your personality all over the world? Then do it to better yourself."

Seeing the man beginning to leave Sylvia rose and left Mercy with her piles of food and thoughts. In a few minutes Sylvia returned and wiped the corners of her mouth nervously. They ate quietly only exchanging remarks over the quality of the food tonight and when the meal was through were out on the street around looking in every direction for inspiration on where to go next. "What time is it?" Sylvia pulled a long pocket watch from inside her coat and clicked it open. "Quarter to two." The alcohol was still humming in Mercy's blood though not as strongly with the settling of the greasy food. "Let's hit the Cat." Sylvia shook her head. "I can't been coffee into the crypts anymore. Something about the place just soaks the smell in and makes everyone a little sick of it." Mercy shrugged. "Why not just crash at my place. I'm sure its just as cozy as your dirt cavern." Smiling for a moment Sylvia considered it. "Got cable? I've been dying for some shitty tv." "I have netflix." Nodding and starting Sylvia yelled back. "That'll do."

As the morning began to soak the town in its light blue haze the apartment echoed with the two friends purging the filth from their insides almost as a punishment for daring to enjoy the human world again. Sylvia leaned over the tub retching and lightly smacking her chest to help the food along. "Ugh why do we do this?" She grumbled. Laughing as she puked as well Mercy pulled her hair back another time and wiped her mouth. "How else would we remember what it's like. Who knows, this could be the liquor or the food for me." She chuckled before the next wave hit her. As they finished both laid on the floor and panted slightly. "Coming to the surface and spending all morning throwing up with me was an interesting tactic to get me into the political scene." Sylvia nodded. "Well the alternative was blackmail." Hoping she was kidding but unsure of how much the Nosferatu really had on her she shook her head. "I don't handle blackmail well."

The sun peaked over the mountains as they crawled into the living room. Sylvia grabbed a few pillows from the couch and curled up by the tv. Pulling herself up and onto the couch Mercy stared at the ceiling exhausted and curious. Her thoughts drifted slowly to the prince of Lamier county who hadn't paid a formal visit since she was a child.


	3. Chapter 3

The clacking of beer cans hitting each other acted as an alarm clock as Trevor jolted awake, his eyes quickly meeting the window only to turn away as he groaned. Justin was already awake and had been slowly cleaning the clutter out of the apartment from last night and even moving to do the recent dishes and take out the trash. Trevor rolled and rubbed his face slowly. "Morning." He whined. Justin had filled the house with coffee he made though it was never kept in the house. Wondering how long he had been up to make the trip for coffee Trevor smashed his messy hair down to a reasonable shape and pulled the last crust from his eyes. "Felt like cleaning places other then your house?" Justin plopped a cup of coffee onto the table in front of the groaning Trevor and walked down the hall disappearing into the other room. Slurping it down and spilling it on his shirt lightly he pulled the cup higher and soaked in the warmth. "Oh dear god yes." Licking his lips and looking up Justin had returned with a large binder he had kept at the side of his bed.

"We're gonna have to talk about this." Justin was calm and stern as he threw it onto the table next to the empty cup. Like a grounded child with the broken window in front of him Trevor kept his arms at his side and looked away in shame. Justin finished his coffee while staring and waiting for Trevor to break and admit it. "I looked through all of this crap while you were still on the floor. The fact that you traced certain people back past her death is even more worrisome. You need to let go of these delusions." Trevor finally glanced to the humiliating package and flipped open the cover as he looked for a place to argue. "These are not people, and furthermore I can prove to you that I wasn't lying. Here we go." Flipping to an older photo of a small neon sign outside a bar he pointed and widened his eyes. "See?" Throwing his arms up in disbelief Justin gasped and rolled his eyes. "You found a bar." Gritting his teeth to squeeze out the much needed defense he rapped his finger on the picture. "This is where I first met her. I even have receipts proving she was there and the bartender is the same man from..." he trailed off as he flipped through more article clippings, photos, and scraps of paper with names and phone numbers on them until a large picture of a painting took up a page alone. The painting was a short man with blond hair and brown eyes who lifted his hands to the sky as hundreds of birds swarmed around him. "Trevor its a painting from god knows when of a guy that maybe looks like someone you recognize." Shaking his head defiantly he stood up and held the binder like a tome in his arms as he moved to Justin's side. "Look. That ring on his right hand. He has the same one." Before Justin could finish a sigh the book was thrown down and the conversation rose as Trevor's frantic point rose to a scream. "THEY ARE AS REAL AS YOU OR ME." Hearing all this before and hoping some practice in mediation could protect him Justin backed away and threw his hands up. "Alright. Look if this is what you need to prove to either feel less guilty or maybe regain some peace of mind enough to pay your fucking bills then so be it. Take me to the bar and I'll show you myself hes a normal guy, not some undead freak."

"How can you explain last night with the amount of time that I lost after that obvious little bitch in old town?" Losing his temper Justin stepped back into his face and let loose. "Oh bullshit!" He burst and was unable to keep from clenching one fist and the other hand forming into a tight point as his fingers edged Trevor's nose. "Maybe she was some booty call or a mistake from your marriage but pretending I don't exist and wandering for a mile doesn't make you some vampire slave!" Snorting with rage Trevor stared into his eyes. "Don't you ever insult my love for her again or it'll be the last thing you do. Tonight, meet me at the town square. Now get the hell out of my face." After a few moments of silence the white noise of birds and passing cars eased an awkward tension that cooled both of them long enough to back away and think. Making an excuse and mumbling about doing laundry Justin slammed the door behind him. The drive home was quiet but short and soon he was home with distractions overflowing to pass the time.

Piling clothes and sorting books left him to his own album of photos that sat in a dusty corner on a shelf. Sitting down for the first time in what must have been a year he turned the first wound over and found pictures of his sister that left Trevor so empty. Gazing at her hair and eyes he was almost lost in wondering how lucky anyone would be to marry her, and despite his current state only half the men he knew could have stayed as sane as Trevor after losing her. "Oh god you and your fruity drinks." He laughed as another page of outing photos came up in which she had a silly colored drink and straw in almost every one. "Couldn't go one holiday with mom without a drink huh." The album passed quickly from the lack of time to build up memories and soon he arrived at the last year of her photos. Trevor had planned three trips to propose to her and took the time away from work always to wind up chickening out or in the wrong moment. The last year was an adventure in its self as they traveled the country and saw as much of the life outside a sheltered home as they could before settling down. Taking out one of the last few from its slide a dorky grinned Justin sat in the background of Trevor on one knee and the last of his beautiful sister in tears of joy.

The sunlight had escaped him and soon he was looking over the house as if it would be judged the moment he stepped out. "What kind of supplies do you take to hunt vampires?" He wondered and laughed a bit, horrified that he was willing the first place to indulge in such a fantasy. Looting around in his garage he found an old machete and threw it into a messenger bag he slung over his shoulder. "Vampires...what hurts vampires..." Turning to an old chest of family heirlooms he rummaged only to find a set of old fashioned silverware. "Stick with the classics I guess." Running with the idea he hit the spice rack next packing both a large vial of garlic and then back to the family chest for holy water. Never a devout man himself but burdened by heritage he threw a few rosaries and a large cross into the bag as well. Feeling like a holy crusader he threw the bag into the car and headed back to Trevor.


End file.
